Britain’s cycling knight Chris Hoy has again criticised officials for lowering the standard of the Olympics by reducing the Games program to one rider per country per event.
Hoy won the individual sprint bronze medal at the track cycling world titles in Melbourne but could miss out on the chance to defend his Olympic title at his home Games in London because of the rule.
Teammate Jason Kenny beat the four-time Olympic gold medallist in the semi-finals on Saturday night and went on to claim the silver and the edge in their intense battle for Britain’s berth in the event.
Ten riders from five countries went under 10 seconds for the flying 200m in the remarkably quick qualifying round of what Hoy described as probably the greatest sprint competition ever.
But five of them – two Frenchmen, an Australian, a German and a Briton – will miss out on the event at the Olympics, while much slower riders from weaker countries will get a berth.
Hoy said the world championships were a higher standard than the Olympics will be and medals won in Melbourne over the past five days would be harder to earn than those in London.
“I’ve said it before, I think it’s a mistake when you look at the quality of the field here,” Hoy said on Saturday night.
“Today and yesterday, in terms of strength and depth and the quality of the field and the closeness of the racing, it was probably the best ever sprint competition.
“It’s a shame that you’ve got, of the riders who made the last eight, four won’t be at the Olympic Games. And of the top 10 qualifiers, five athletes won’t be at the Olympics.”
The riders who finished third, sixth, seventh and eighth at the world titles will most likely not be able to compete in the sprint at the Olympics.
Hoy said the rule, imposed by cycling’s governing body the UCI at the behest of the International Olympic Committee, would not work in a sport like athletics.
“You’ve got to imagine the 100m final in the athletics with one Jamaican, one American,” he said.
“I believe the best athletes in the world should be there, whatever country they’re from. Whether it’s four guys who make the last four from the same country or whether it’s athletes from different countries.”
Hoy and Kenny took the gold and silver in the sprint at the 2008 Olympics, but whoever misses the individual event in London, will still be part of Britain’s three-man team sprint.
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